First look: Building sites reimagined as works of art

Have you ever wondered how construction sites around the city become decorated with art?

After community demand for more street art across Sydney, we started the creative hoardings program. Developers building in high traffic areas must cover their construction site with art by a living Australian artist or with relevant historical images. It gives artists the chance to display their work on a large scale and it makes our city more vibrant too.

This winter we went out with our third call out, asking artists from NSW to share an artwork concept they think should dress the harbour city. While there were no limitations on artwork concepts, artists could choose to respond to 3 themes - Eora Journey: Recognition in the public domain, LGBTIQA+ pride and expansive greening.

Hundreds of applications later, 10 new artworks have been chosen and licensed for construction companies to use – free of charge.

You can expect to see fresh artwork all over the area soon. If you can’t wait, here’s a sneak peek.

Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay artist Dennis Golding’s artwork Colouring Memory is inspired by his childhood in Redfern, surrounded by iron lacework on the balconies of the area’s terrace houses.

“These objects were in our everyday life. I colour them through my connection to place, and memories of the past,” Dennis Golding said.

Heavy Light by artist Andrew Christie and Sprung!! Integrated Dance Theatre, an organisation that trains people with disability.

Dancers created avatars of themselves that express the thrills and tensions of the stage, the importance of visibility and the weight of self-confrontation.

Artist Ash Garwood’s Equivalence passes as an expansive wave from far away. But up close the image deteriorates and the digital details, artefacts and flaws emerge.

Learn more about our creative hoardings program.